New On The Shelf At Fiction Books This Week

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house during the last week. Be warned that Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Mailbox Monday now has a permanent home, where links may be added each week. So why not stop by, leave a link to your own Mailbox Monday post, oh! and don’t forget to leave a comment for our three new joint administrators, after all, we all like to receive them … ‘Mailbox Monday’

This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!

…

I love the whole ethos of this potentially very moving fictional story, based as it is on a series of all too real and very emotional events in the author’s life. I think that it is very unique and very brave of Donna, rather than write a conventional biography as a memory to her lovely daughter, to turn events into a series of fictional stories featuring Emma as the main protagonist.

I am so looking forward to reading ‘Tomorrow Comes’ and I am hoping that Donna is going to agree to doing me the honour of contributing a guest post, in the not too distant future.

…

‘TOMORROW COMES’

It’s ‘an Emma Story’ and heaven only knows what tomorrow will bring …

Emma – a popular, spirited 19-year-old on the threshold of her dreams – dies in her sleep, from no known cause. The family grieves, the community mourns, but tomorrow comes, and Emma awakens in a place she calls AFTER. While it looks a lot like the Midwest hometown she knew BEFORE, she finds that it is … really different. She is no expert at first but soon discovers she can communicate with loved ones and helps steer them to a better place. But she does encounter challenges in just being herself in AFTER.

This is a book about the importance of being connected. It is also a book about love, hope, and family – our best tools for working through life’s most difficult circumstances. Above all, ‘Tomorrow Comes’, is a spellbinding story about Emma – a fun-loving young woman who, with confidence and flair, is determined to embrace the heart of life, even as her own transforms, and to act on her instincts to do the right thing.

…

DONNA MEBANE

Donna is author of the acclaimed new work ‘Tomorrow Comes: An Emma Story’.

The publication of this, her first novel, follows years of composition in the form of poems, short stories, and other narratives.

Much of Donna’s work has centred on the beguiling complexities of family relationships, and she is recognized for her sensitivity in developing strong characters through contemporary, colloquial dialogue.

In addition to her creative work, Donna has authored countless business reports, white papers, leadership presentations, training scripts and guides, and miscellaneous other communications.

She is a modern renaissance woman. Born in Pennslyvania, Donna became a globetrotter at an early age, as the daughter of a U.S. Navy Commander. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of Rhode Island, Donna’s professional trajectory carried her to Princeton, where she was an educator and researcher; to Dallas, where she was a lights-out business developer in educational technology; and so, to Chicago, where she has been a senior learning and talent management leader in the financial services industry.

It is in Geneva, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, where Donna lives with her husband, Rod and daughter, Sarah. Son Ben also lives in Geneva, whilst son Jason lives in Seattle. Daughter Emma is always close in spirit.

Donna is currently working on a ‘Tomorrow Comes’ sequel, with the working title, ‘Tomorrow Matters’.

Yvonne

I can’t remember a time, even as a child, when I haven’t been passionate about books and reading.
I began blogging, when I realised just how many other people out there shared my passion for the written word and I have been continually amazed at the wealth of books that are available and the amount of great new friends I have made, from literally 'The Four Corners Of The World'.

It would seem that for Donna, the writing of this book has been very cathartic, perhaps even more so than if it had been a traditional memoir.

By turning Emma’s short life into a fictional series of stories, it is almost as though she still lives on and can continue to influence the lives of complete strangers who read the books, as well as her devoted family, who will obviously never forget her.

I grant you that ‘Tomorrow Comes’ is not a style of writing I would generally read, however when read in the context of the real life happenings in the Mebane household and given the recent passing of one of my closest friends, I felt this a story worth exploring further.

I am not sure how I feel about the line…
“She is no expert at first but soon discovers she can communicate with loved ones and helps steer them to a better place.”
… however I shall approach this book with a completely open mind and see where it leads me!

Thanks for taking such an interest in today’s post and enjoy your week.

This sounds like it will be a really heart-moving book! It must have been really hard to write about something so personal! The blurb kind of reminds me of ;The Lovely Bones’, which I still haven’t read.
Thanks for sharing 🙂 Hope you have a good weekMy MM
Juli @ Universe in Words

It must have been so emotionally difficult for Donna to write this book, even more so given that she had to make the story into a work of fiction, when every instinct must have been trying to take her down the biographical route, so that the reader got to know the real Emma.

I read ‘The Lovely Bones’ some time ago, but needed to refresh my memory about the actual synopsis. I can see the similarities instantly, so if ‘Tomorrow Comes’ is even half as good, then I shall be onto a real winner here.

Thanks for such an interesting comment and I hope that your week is a good one.

Definitely an interesting and brave approach, both to writing a novel and in trying to deal with the heartache and sense of loss of losing a loved one so suddenly and so young.

I am not sure exactly how I feel about the concept of being able to communicate with loved ones and help to steer their lives, as surely that would be changing the prescribed course of events. However I really want to see just how Donna deals with this and still manages to maintain the fictional qualities of the story.

I was approached by Donna’s agent, Tracy about a possible review for ‘Tomorrow Comes’, so I am hoping that they consider their faith well placed in me, by placing such a personal and emotional story in my hands.

It must have been a difficult and brave decision for Donna to decide to place Emma at the centre of a fictional story, when she had been such a ‘real’ person, right at the heart of their loving family.

If you check out the link to the website, you will find that it is almost exclusively devoted to the memory of Emma and there are some lovely tributes to her there.

‘Tomorrow Comes’ is definitely a completely new concept in Fiction writing for me, so I don’t really know what to expect from it. Whatever my own personal thoughts and observations are, Donna demands only respect and admiration for her brave determination in telling Emma’s story in this way.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by. It is always great to hear from you and I hope that you are keeping well.

I always appreciate any time you manage to spend here at Fiction Books and I completely understand how hectic and off kilter things must be for you right now.

I am sending all Best Wishes to your Mum and all the family at this time, but please make sure that you get some down time for yourself occasionally, perhaps try and lose yourself in one of those great books you received last week!